Oregon I-5 bridge money may go to smaller projects

SALEM — Federal dollars that would have helped pay for a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River will be spent instead on a variety of highway maintenance projects in Oregon.

Oregon state lawmakers approved $450 million in bonds in 2013, but the project fell apart when Washington lawmakers declined to match the funding.

The Oregon Department of Transportation tells the Statesman Journal that the state has identified a handful of smaller projects to get the federal funds that had previously been slated to repay some of the bridge debt.

Potential projects include repaving roads and replacing or rehabilitating bridges throughout the state highway system. The projects total $116 million.